How immigrants make America great | Mawi Asgedom | TEDxGrantPark

Mawi Asgedom makes a bold, unapologetic case for how immigrants make America safer and more prosperous. Flipping commonly held stereotypes and misconceptions, Mawi presents data and stories that show the indispensable contributions of immigrants to America’s business and civic life.

Mawi Asgedom has inspired over one million people with his uplifting speeches and written 8 bestselling books. A former refugee from Ethiopia, Mawi is the President of Mawi Learning, a provider of online leadership and success courses used by schools around the world.

Oprah Winfrey called her interview with Mawi one of her “Top 20 Moments” and ESSENCE magazine selected him as one of the “40 Most Inspiring African-Americans.” As a child, Mawi fled civil war in Ethiopia and survived a Sudanese refugee camp for three years. After being resettled in the US, Mawi overcame poverty, language barriers, and personal tragedy to graduate from Harvard University, where he also gave the commencement address to an audience of 30,000.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx